28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

[Michael Scott]

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
I’m honestly surprised that they didn’t make this film 28 Decades Later, judging by the naming convention of the previous 3 films, but 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a first for the franchise. Instead of waiting years and years between each film release, and having Danny Boyle at the helm, we get a direct sequel less than a year after the first one was released. AND it happens to pick up literally moments after the ending of 28 Years Later. And while I’m all for more 28 insert whatever later, I’m also a bit cautious when brand new directors are brought in for a series that has been helmed and lorded over by a singular director. But hey, a bold new direction may just be what the doctor ordered, as 28 Years Later was good, but not the triumphant return to glory that most of us initially thought it would be (or was to some people, as the luster has sort of worn off for many fans who initially enjoyed the film).

The Bone Temple essentially just continues on where the ending of 28 Years Later left us. Spike (Alfie Williams) met up with the devil-worshipping blonde gang at the end of the previous film, and we start right up with him being initiated into the cult. Unfortunately for Spike, he’s a bit in over his head as he has to kill one of the long-standing members in hand-to-hand combat, barely pulling it off in a heartbreaking opening scene. The Satanic cult is more accurately agents of chaos, sowing death and random destruction in their wake as they fight random people they meet along the way, as well as their own kind, in a sort of chaotic blood lust.

Calling themselves “the fingers’ they sweep across the zombie-ridden nation, until their paths happen to cross with the red iodine-soaked doctor Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes, falling back into the role of the doctor with expert alacrity). And while the fingers are set on sowing chaos, Dr. Kelson is intent on figuring out how to draw the humanity out of the rage zombies. Pumping several of his test subjects with morphine and other drugs, his attempts at awakening that latent sense of humanity left within their fragile psyches (what’s left of it that is), with little to no avail. But things change when the fingers stumble across the red-soaked doctor, causing the leader of the fingers to claim that the good Dr. is his long-lost father, Satan, and much to the chagrin of the doctor, he kinda has to follow along.

Not to spoil anything, but any more than that and I risk letting the final act twist out of the bag. Needless to say, The Bone Temple was more enjoyable than I ever expected it to be. It carries along the visual aesthetics and stylings of Danny Boyle, yet pushes a more straightforward story across our screens. Boyle’s films tend to be more meandering, with a non-linear storytelling method to clue the viewers in to the plot points. But DaCosta’s tale is much more linear, having us watch everything in near real time, with very little deviation.

Horror fans are definitely in for a treat here, as the gore is MUCH more brutal and in your face than even most of Boyle’s previous films. Sure, we had monsters and insanity going on, but the gore was never THAT bad. Here it’s near over the top, rivaling many an 80s slasher in the blood letting. Also, we get a bit more fighting and overall violence between people as well, especially with the fingers and their “interesting” way of coping with the new world they live in. The cons will definitely lean towards the pacing, with the story taking a bit to get off the ground, and the middle act dragging a bit. But the final act more than makes up for the strange pacing issues of the first two acts and makes for good old-fashioned storytelling.




Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout, and brief drug use




Video:

The 2.39:1 AVC Sony encode looks good, almost too good compared to its predecessor’s in some ways. The image is warm and bright, with vivid greens and strong blue tones throughout. The woods and the interior of homes show a dimmer and more wood-brown hue to things, but once you step outside, things brighten up a good bit. Fine details remain strong, showing off every line and splash of Kelson’s iodine-soaked body, to the frayed stitching and grimy blood marks on the bodies of the members. Black levels are generally really good, though I noticed a few flickers of banding here and there.








Audio:

Sony naturally employs a 5.1 DTS-HD MA lossless mix on this Blu-ray while relegating the Atmos track to the 4K UHD exclusively. And as much as I whine and complain about it every time, it usually is not that big of a difference considering Sony’s excellent track record on maximizing their DTS-HD MA audio mixes. The mix is good, but while never great, it manages to really pull you into the same world we left last year. Dialog is great, with no signs of being too low or imbalanced with the rest of the mix. Dynamic range can be utterly massive, with soft spoken word sequences transferring into a massively explosive one at the drop of a hat. Surrounds get ample use, and bass is more than punchy. By all metrics, a very solid track. It’s just that I miss the Atmos track that we had on the previous film, and I guess that there is some room to improve, which the 4K UHD disc will likely provide.










Extras:

• Audio Commentary with Director Nia DaCosta
• Behind The Scenes: New Blood, The Doctor and the Devil, Beneath the Rage
• Deleted Scene

Final Score: ​

The Bone Temple isn’t going to be some amazing sequel, but it isn’t the “oh my goodness, this franchise is going downhill FAST” scenario that I feared either. In fact, I actually like it MORE than 28 Years Later, and that is likely due to the fact that Dr. Kelson was the best part of the previous films, and his heavier screen time allows for more enjoyment here. The Sony Blu-ray looks and sounds great, with only some moderate extras on board for the collectors. All in all, a rather fun watch, and the Blu-ray is worth checking out simply for the visuals alone.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman
Directed by: Nia DaCosta
Written by: Alex Garland
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1, English DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish, French
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: R
Runtime: 109 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: March 21st, 2026

Recommendation: Fun Watch